In this letter, partly written in cipher to protect its contents from prying eyes, James Madison reports that opposition to the General Assessment Bill, which would provide state funding for all Protestant ministers, was growing. The leaders of the various sects continued to shift their ground on the measure, causing Madison and other supporters of a separation between church and state a great deal of anxiety. Madison played a leading role in opposition to the General Assessment Bill and drafted the key remonstrance against it that circulated throughout the state of Virginia.